Well known animal lover Paul O’Grady has pledged his support to a social enterprise helping animals living on the streets after taking to the streets of London with StreetVet for the ITV show ‘For The Love Of Dogs’.
StreetVet was established in 2017 by vets Jade Statt and Sam Joseph and is a growing initiative now made up of more than 300 vets and nurses caring for pets across nine cities in the UK.
After joining their volunteers one evening to see how the organisation helps homeless pets, dog lover Paul, 63, wanted to do more to help and has become an ambassador for StreetVet.
Paul O’Grady and StreetVet co-founder Jade Statt
Speaking about the decision and work he saw firsthand, Paul said, “When we were filming ‘For the Love of Dogs’ we went out on the streets with StreetVet to see firsthand what they do for the homeless and their pets.
“I was really impressed with the dedication of the team and want to support them to enable them to reach even more homeless people around the country.”
StreetVet provides free veterinary care for homeless pet owners. They recognised that pets – mostly dogs – living on the streets needed access to treatment and began giving health checks, worming and flea treatment and vaccinations and surgical treatment when required.
It resonated with their profession and soon they had hundreds of volunteers going out with backpacks in their own time. As well as 450 dogs, they’ve treated 15 cats.
StreetVet co-founders Sam and Jade with client Andy Hutchins
Co-founder Jade Statt, 39, said she was thrilled to have Paul’s support: “We were hoping to find someone who understands the bond between an owner and their dog and that person is Paul.
“To our homeless owners, their dog is their lifeline. Paul is known for his love of dogs and he completely grasps this relationship.
“Paul is warm and compassionate and can relate to people from all walks of life and cares deeply about human and animal welfare.
“That’s what StreetVet is about. We are humbled he’s agreed to work with us as an ambassador to make people aware of the homeless crisis and the struggles of our clients and their dogs.”
StreetVet relies on donations, volunteers and industry support to provide vital supplies and equipment, and help patients.
They have been nominated for the Animal Friends 100k Charity Giveaway and are awaiting confirmation of their charity status.
Jade said, “This is an incredible opportunity for StreetVet to be awarded enough funds to expand into more cities and help more animals.
“We’re faced with an increasing homeless population and we do all we can on limited resources, but this funding really would enable us to do so much more.”
You can vote at www.animalfriends.co.uk/100kcharitygiveaway
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